He Couldn't
by Delta-Delta
Summary: Hades is powerful... but does he match up to Zeus? Could the god of death actually be... Jealous? One-shot, written for the Veritas Monthly Prompt Challenge.


Disclaimer: I do not own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_, that belongs to Rick Riordan...

Thanks much to Zenaide 16 for beta-ing this very quickly when asked.

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He paced the floor as darkness fell. It was always dark here, but today was even more so. After all, this was home to darkness. It was the home of pain and cruelty. This was the Underworld.

He let his eyes wander over to the window from which he saw the three-headed dog, Cerberus. His gaze then fell onto the security ghouls, and finally, onto the crowd of spirits coming in from the Styx. Suddenly, a gust of bone chilling air flew in from the river and Hades shivered.

He muttered under his breath, "Curse Zeus…" The god looked up just in time to hear a low grumbling sound coming from above. "Sorry, sorry… Old habits…" Hades winced and looked away.

He'd always found it rather annoying when his brother sent unwanted wind into his so-called Olympus. The Underworld had always been that for him, for he'd only been to the real Mount Olympus during the Winter Solstice, the coldest and darkest time of year. Last time he'd seen it, it was on the 600th floor, perched up on the Empire State Building.

_Ridiculous choice… I say we should've went to a nice and quiet place… The Appalachians would've worked, but no… Zeus had to choose New York… Always has to be the risk-taker… _

Hades turned on his heels and approached his throne, where he sat down and sighed. He looked over to his right to see the empty throne, slightly smaller than his, draped with gray silk.

_The throne that should have been vacated by Persephone._ _But no, apparently Demeter can't lead a normal life without her daughter… how pathetic. Persephone could've been sitting right beside me now…_

The god shook his head in a desperate attempt to clear it from all his bitter thoughts. Instead, he tried to focus his mind on tonight's dinner, but he couldn't concentrate. Something was troubling him, deep down. Was it hatred? Or maybe… jealousy?

"Jealousy… Jealousy…" The word sounded strange on his tongue. For Hades had never felt simply such an emotion. The feeling was simply unfamiliar to him.

Jealousy? How could he, having almost always gotten what he demanded, be jealous? Jealousy was for small and unimportant beings with no power or control whatsoever, not for gods, and certainly _not _for Hades. What was there to be jealous _of, _anyways? Anything he wanted was always within his reach… well, just about.

Hades shrugged the bizarre feeling off and departed from the room, his long raven-black silk robes trailing behind him. _After all, it's just a hunch, _he told himself. _Doesn't mean anything._

That night, the god was restless. He lay awake for hours on end, pondering the meaning of the strange tug in his stomach. When he'd finally fallen asleep, his dreams were wild.

He was striding thought the Elysium, looking out on to the Isles of the Blest. The soft breeze felt comforting on his pale skin, the bark of the Hellhounds in the background soothing his senses. He felt strong and powerful, he was the ruler of the Underworld. He was about to turn back to his palace for a light rest when suddenly, everything started changing. He noticed the Hellhound's barks grew louder, the gold crown on his head becoming heavier. His spine stiffened, a chill running through it. And then, he heard it.

_CRACK! _An opening tore through the ceiling, followed by an ear-splitting roar.

All was quiet for a few moments. Even the cries of pain from the Fields of Punishment stopped, with the exception of the silent whimpering of a young child whose legs had a dozen or so bleeding cuts. Then, a massive bolt of lightning struck a nearby boulder, smashing it to pieces. Once the sound of the shattering rock had subsided, Hades noticed another sound – one that was even more frightening than anything else. A laugh could now be heard, ringing throughout the Underworld as if the place was merely a small, enclosed room the size of a walk-in-closet. However, one thing was certain. The cruel laugh did not belong to Hades.

The god awoke in his bed, the sweat covering his forehead made his pillow damp. When he finally found the strength to open his eyes he could hardly see in the darkness of his bedroom, so he closed his eyes again and continued to lie in his bed, covered by his comfortingly heavy and soft blanket. He thought of his dream for a while, and then came to a conclusion. _Zeus. _The name brought a mixture of thoughts and feelings to him. Difference… A mild hatred… And… there it was again. That bizarre emotion… Jealousy.

The image of the lightning bolt flashed through his mind again, and he understood. The lightning represented Zeus, his power, his strength. And the rock… Hades was confused, but if his assumptions were correct, he'd rather not finish the thought trailing through his mind.

Zeus' power… He was so strong, towering above Hades… Next to Zeus, Hades was a pebble – completely powerless.

Hades was utterly confused, but he was sure of one thing – he wanted Zeus' powers, he needed them. But he couldn't have them. He was the god of the Underworld, the Lord of Death. Zeus was the god of the Sky, and his brother couldn't change that.

Hades was so hungry, yet powerless. He wanted is brother's powers… but he couldn't have them. He couldn't.


End file.
